Android and iOS Combine for 91.1% of the Worldwide Smartphone OS Market in 4Q12 and 87.6% for the Year, According to IDC

Android and iOS Combine for 91.1% of the Worldwide Smartphone OS Market in
4Q12 and 87.6% for the Year, According to IDC
Business Wire
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- February 14, 2013
Android and iOS, the number one and number two ranked smartphone operating
systems (OS) worldwide, combined for 91.1% of all smartphone shipments during
the fourth quarter of 2012 (4Q12). According to the International Data
Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, Android smartphone
vendors and Apple shipped a total of 207.6 million units worldwide during
4Q12, up 70.2% from the 122.0 million units shipped during 4Q11. For calendar
year 2012, Android and iOS combined for 87.6% of the 722.4 million smartphones
shipped worldwide, up from 68.1% of the 494.5 million units shipped during
calendar year 2011.
"The dominance of Android and Apple reached a new watermark in the fourth
quarter," said Ramon Llamas, research manager with IDC's Mobile Phone team.
"Android boasted a broad selection of smartphones, and an equally deep list of
smartphone vendor partners. Finding an Android smartphone for nearly any
budget, taste, size, and price was all but guaranteed during 2012. As a
result, Android was rewarded with market-beating growth."
"Likewise, demand for Apple's iPhone 5 kept iOS out in front and in the hands
of many smartphone users," added Llamas. "At the same time, lower prices on
the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S brought iOS within reach of more users and
sustained volume success of older models. Even with the Apple Maps debacle,
iPhone owners were not deterred from purchasing new iPhones."
The two horse race between Android and iOS has collectively accounted for more
than 50% share of the smartphone OS market over the past two years. At the
same time both BlackBerry and Microsoft have been working on competing
platforms that have recently launched and are poised for competition.
Microsoft launched Windows Phone 8 in 4Q12, and BlackBerry more recently
released BB10 in January, marking the first time two new platforms have been
introduced to the smartphone space in the past several years.
"With the recent introductions of two new smartphone platforms we expect some
ground to be made by the new entrants over the coming years," said Ryan Reith,
program manager with IDC's Mobile Device Trackers. "There is no question the
road ahead is uphill for both Microsoft and BlackBerry, but history shows us
consumers are open to change. Platform diversity is something not only the
consumers have asked for, but also the operators."
Smartphone Operating System Highlights
Android continued its overall upward trajectory, reaching triple-digit growth
for the year. Samsung was the biggest contributor to Android's success,
amassing 42.0% of all Android smartphone shipments during the year. Following
Samsung was a long list of vendors with single digit market share, and an even
longer list of vendors with market share less than one percent. The
intra-Android competition has not stifled companies from keeping Android as
the cornerstone of their respective smartphone strategies, but has upped the
ante to innovate proprietary experiences.
iOS posted yet another quarter and year of double-digit growth with strong
demand for the iPhone. But what also stands out is how iOS's year-over-year
growth has slowed compared to the overall market. The smaller volumes during
2Q12 and to a smaller extent 3Q12 underscore the possibility for a mid-year
iPhone release in order to maintain market-beating growth. Speculation about
the release of possible larger-screen and inexpensive models during the middle
of 2013 continues to follow Apple, which would help sustain growth. But until
any model is formally announced, speculation remains simply that.
BlackBerry's decision to postpone the release of BB10 to 2013 left the
platform vulnerable in 2012 and reliant primarily on older smartphones running
on BB7. As a result, BlackBerry's tight grip on enterprise users has loosened
and its popularity within emerging markets has been diminished by the
competition. Now that BlackBerry has unveiled BB10, the company is faced with
migrating current BlackBerry users to upgrade while persuading smartphone
users of other platforms, including previous BlackBerry users, to switch.
Windows Phone/Windows Mobile made market-beating progress in 4Q12 and 2012.
The addition of Nokia's strong commitment behind the platform was the key
driver in Microsoft's success. At the same time, the relationship has
benefited Nokia, which amassed 76.0% of all Windows Phone/Windows Mobile
smartphone shipments. Beyond Nokia, however, is a short list of other vendors
who have been experimenting with Windows Phone while also supporting Android.
Linux has remained essentially flat from the previous year, with longtime
supporters NEC and Panasonic moving to Android and newcomers K-Touch and Haier
making up the difference. Linux will bear close observation in 2013 as new
smartphones from SailFish, Tizen, and Ubuntu are all scheduled to launch this
year. Still, these new Linux-powered operating systems will require time and
investment to gain momentum in the market, making for a slowly growing
trajectory.
Top Five Smartphone Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, 4Q12
(Units in Millions)
4Q12 4Q11 Year
Operating 4Q12 Unit Market 4Q11 Unit Market over
System Shipments Share Shipments Share Year
Change
Android 159.8 70.1 % 85.0 52.9 % 88.0 %
iOS 47.8 21.0 % 37.0 23.0 % 29.2 %
BlackBerry 7.4 3.2 % 13.0 8.1 % -43.1 %
Windows
Phone/ 6.0 2.6 % 2.4 1.5 % 150.0 %
Windows
Mobile
Linux 3.8 1.7 % 3.9 2.4 % -2.6 %
Others 3.0 1.3 % 19.5 12.1 % -84.6 %
Total 227.8 100.0 % 160.8 100.0 % 41.7 %
Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, February 14, 2013
In addition to the table above, a graphic showing the relative market shares
of the top smartphone operating systems over the previous eight quarters is
available at IDC.com. The chart is intended for public use in online news
articles and social media. Instructions on how to embed this graphic can be
found by viewing this press release on IDC.com.
Top Five Smartphone Operating Systems, Shipments, and Market Share, 2012
(Units in Millions)
2012 2011 Year
Operating 2012 Unit Market 2011 Unit Market over
System Shipments Share Shipments Share Year
Change
Android 497.1 68.8 % 243.5 49.2 % 104.1 %
iOS 135.9 18.8 % 93.1 18.8 % 46.0 %
BlackBerry 32.5 4.5 % 51.1 10.3 % -36.4 %
Symbian 23.9 3.3 % 81.5 16.5 % -70.7 %
Windows
Phone/ 17.9 2.5 % 9.0 1.8 % 98.9 %
Windows
Mobile
Others 15.1 2.1 % 16.3 3.3 % -7.4 %
Total 722.4 100.0 % 494.5 100.0 % 46.1 %
Source: IDC Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker, February 14, 2013
Note: Vendor shipments are branded shipments and exclude OEM sales for all
vendors.
For more information about IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker,
please contact Kathy Nagamine at 650-350-6423 or knagamine@idc.com.
About IDC Trackers
IDC Tracker products provide accurate and timely market size, vendor share,
and forecasts for hundreds of technology markets from more than 100 countries
around the globe. Using proprietary tools and research processes, IDC's
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results are delivered to clients in user-friendly excel deliverables and
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About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market
intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology,
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Contact:
IDC
Ramon T. Llamas, 508-935-4736
rllamas@idc.com
or
Ryan Reith, 650-350-6242
rreith@idc.com
or
Michael Shirer, 508-935-4200
press@idc.com